Bell 206B-III accident near Coalville, Utah, February 25, 1984
On February 25, 1984 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Bell 206B-III (helicopter), registered N16803, was destroyed in an accident near Coalville, Utah. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 25, 1984 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Coalville, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B-III · all 206B-IIIs on the register
- Registration
- N16803 · registry record · serial 2225
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE HELICOPTER WAS EQUIPPED WITH 'BEAR PAWS'. SNOWSHOE-LIKE DEVICES ON THE SKIDS TO DISTRIBUTE WEIGHT ON SOFT SURFACES. THE BEAR PAWS ON THIS ACFT ROTATED FREELY AROUND THE SKIDS, NOT TIGHTENED DOWN AS PER DESIGN SPEC. ALSO, BEAR PAWS ARE NOT APPROVED FOR AMERICAN ACFT BY THE FAA. THIS HELICOPTER LANDED ON WHAT THE PILOT THOUGHT WAS A FIRM LANDING SURFACE BUT WAS ACTUALLY 5 FT OF SNOW COVERED WITH A THIN CRUST OF ICE. A PASSENGER THAT THE PILOT HAD DEBOARDED EARLIER ABOUT 900 FT DOWN THE MOUNTAIN, STATED THAT HE SAW THE HELICOPTER ROLL OVER ON ITS RIGHT SIDE APRX 5 MINS AFTER HE LEFT THE AIRCRAFT. THIS INDIVIDUAL STATED THAT THE PILOT DID NOT SHUT DOWN THE HELICOPTER AFTER HE WAS LEFT OFF. DURING THE ROLLOVER, ONE BLADE OF THE ROTOR SLICED THROUGH THE COCKPIT IT DEPARTED THE ACFT.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,674 hours in all; 3,152 in this make and model; 114 in the last 90 days; 114 in the last 30 days; 3,610 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,601 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, December 6, 1983; 259 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Wanship UT at 3:10 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 4,000 ft; scat at 700 ft
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:50 pm from SLC, 38 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.